2010-04-14

Kyrgyz scarf and other treasures

So Carlota and I went to the Textiles museum on Sunday. Discovered lots of beauty, even though I am coming to the conclusion that my brain is not wired like most women's. I definitely lack the connection to the textile art, and have to strain to make any sense of it.

The Navajo tapestries with their geometric shapes and bright colors were reminding me a lot of the carpets I remember on the walls at home growing up.

Quilt art of Joan Schulze was more accessible for me, but the artist's use of fashion magazines and cosmetics advertisements did not strike a chord with me. Maybe I'm not woman enough after all. Dunno.

The beautiful scarf you see in the picture above turned out to be the highlight of the visit for me. It is made in Kyrgizstan, by Bukon studio, and mixes very delicate silk fabric with felted flowers. The result of mixing a very thin and very coarse fabrics makes for a fascinating object to look at and to touch.

At $185, the price tag was a bit steep, but I was seriously considering buying it, until I asked the lady behind the counter what she knew about the artist, since all pieces in the museum store are on consignment.

Turns out, some dude drops Kyrgiz textile art at the store every once in a while, and they weren't sure how much of the proceeds the artist actually gets. So I decided to not buy the scarf for now, and get in touch with the studio instead. I found them mentioned online on the Souztextile Association page. Will be emailing them shortly to find out whether they have an official representative in the US and whether they know what the pricing over here looks like. I would not mind paying for art as long as I knew that the artist got a fair share.

Then there were also textile postcards and I got this "dead fish" one for Carlota. Goes without saying, a ditz that I am, I have forgotten to actually give the card to her, and it is now at my place. I hope I will remember to give it to Carlota next time I see her. Really adorable :)

And this fabric kimono I got for myself. Only need to frame it and hang it up some place. I haven't put a lot of art on my walls, got tired of hanging my own, and I don't own much of anybody else's, so this is a welcome addition.